Collaborate to counter extremist threats — Dr Aning
Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor
A security expert, Dr Kwesi Aning, has urged the government to streamline the artisanal mining sector to prevent the industry from being used to fund activities of extremist groups.
He said there was no control in the sector to determine “how much gold is mined, how much of it is taken out of the country, who takes it out where and how much money really comes in.”
Dr Aning, who is the Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAIPTC), said there was evidence from Mali and Burkina Faso that those extremists were funding their activities through illegal artisanal mining.
He said this at a workshop for security experts from West Africa on the need to collaborate to counter extremist threats to West Africa and Sahel.
Dr Aning noted that “we are seeing artisanal mining in Burkina Faso and Mali being controlled by extremist groups or providing protection for some groups.”
Participants
The three-day workshop, organised by KAIPTC with funding from the Australian embassy in Ghana, had participants from Mali, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
According to Dr Aning, even though there were activities in the sector, there had not been much increase in the quantum of gold exported by the country, “meaning some of the gold is smuggled out of the country.”
He added that “we need a better understanding of how the proceeds from artisanal mining are accounted for because if we trace the money, we can get to know those who are involved both in the mining and those who provide protection for the miners and how they are smuggled out.”
Risk
Touching on whether Ghana was at risk of being attacked by extremists groups, Dr Aning said judging from their activities in the sub-region from Mali through to Burkina Faso, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire, “certainly we can’t continue to remain not at risk.”
He proposed that the activities of the Operation Vanguard should be strengthened because “if the system is lose, all the bad guys will want to come in to exploit it.”
He said there was the need for cooperation among the state agencies to fight terrorism, particularly in the area of information sharing.
Dr Aning emphasised that until the state agencies came together to share information and fight the menace together, “the extremist groups will always be 10 years ahead of us.”
Dr Aning emphasised that until the state agencies came together to share information and fight the menace together, “the extremist groups will always be 10 years ahead of us.”
Terrorist threats
The Deputy Head of the Australian Mission in Ghana, Mr Glen Askew, said the threat of extremism in the sub-region had become more apparent now than before as a result of the local and communal conflicts.
He said while the terrorist threat had been largely confined to countries in the Sahel, the potential spill over of insecurity “represents a challenge to coastal West African states.”
He stated that terrorist groups increasingly focused on addressing the concerns of local communities and exploiting community divisions and regional vulnerabilities.
According to him, “groups often respond to the local needs faster and more effectively than the state and they use a combination of intimidation, exploitation of ethnic tensions and financial control to gain influence.”
Funding
On funding for their activities, Mr Askew said terrorists depended largely on kidnapping for ransom, smuggling, extortion and theft.
“Illegal artisanal gold trade has been flagged as a potential source of funding in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,” he added.
He, therefore, called for increased collaboration among West African states to help build the operational relationships that would facilitate the effective transfer of information, adding that “together you will be more effective and successful building safe, secure and prosperous communities in the region.”